In-Debt To Ryuk (LightxRyuk)
by AceLovesAnime
Summary: During Light Yagami's time held-captive due to L's suspicion that he's Kira, Light becomes indebted to everyone's favorite Shinigami - Ryuk. What happens from there? You'd have to read to find out! (RyukxLight, ship hate is not appreciated nor is it welcomed. Don't bother, guys). {Credit for the Cover Image goes to the appropriate artist.}
1. Staying Sane

_**"This is Hell…"**_

Light had never thought he could get this fucking _sick_ of any one place, but he had developed a severe _hate_ towards L's irritating excuse for a prison. The God of the New World, and here he sat, stuck in cold room with a bed that was no more comfortable than the concrete floor, being watched 24/7 by one of the only people he honestly _hated_ in this world.

_Fucking L._

"You aren't dead yet, Light," that scratchy, automated voice broke through he speakers in the walls and Light inwardly groaned, rolling over on the floor where he'd been sprawled, curling into a ball instead of starring up at the ceiling. How many weeks it had been now? He'd lost count, but he knew that it was _far_ too many.

The 'click' of the mic being turned off was a faint blessing. At least L wasn't going to keep talking to him about it; sometimes the detective got bored and _all_ he did was annoy Light throughout the day. Today, he seemed thankfully busy.

Rolling back over onto his back, the honors' student turned his gaze up towards the ceiling once more. There _had_ to be something _psychologically damaging_ about being submitted to this absolute _torture_. He wanted to snap back a witty comment, but he knew that talking would only provoke the detective; he didn't need any other reasons to bother Light.

His gaze flickered over to Ryuk, who'd been hovering silently in the background the entire time. Occasionally he'd laugh or scoff at them, but over time the talkative Shinigami had grown quiet; even Death Gods got sick of being cooped up with nothing to do for days on end. Of course, he could have left, but when asked, he'd said that he wouldn't 'feel quite right' about leaving Light alone like that. It was kind of.. _sweet_, in a strange and subtle way.

Christ, thinking that _anything_ Ryuk did was sweet _had_ to have been a sign of induced-insanity. It was kind of like a prisoner growing affectionate towards one of their inmates; they didn't particularly like each other, not to any considerable degree, but when that was the only person that you got to see for hours on end…

_"You're starring, Light."_

The Shinigami's voice shook Light from his thoughts and it was only then that he realized he had, in fact, been starring at the Death God. Shaking his head, he shrugged just slightly; it was the only apology he could give, considering that_ talking to himself_ would look a _little_ suspicious. And insane. But again, he was pretty sure he'd already _gone_ insane…

"I really wish you could talk to me," Ryuk added after a moment, turning in the air where he hovered, his long legs folding like a deformed-cat that had sprawled out. In an almost whining voice, he added, "You know, I didn't leave the Shinigami Realm to be stuck in _jail_, Light. When are you going to get out of here? What happened to your master-plan?"

_Impatient Shinigami…_

"You look very upset for somebody who's by himself, Light."

That was the last straw. L's stupid, irritating comment was what made the last pebble fall, causing that avalanche that was his sanity. "I'm not by myself!" he growled, "I'm in a fucking cell, with you always watching me, never able to get any peace, and you wonder why I'm upset!"

Ryuk's voice was in the background, sounding something between panicked and amused, "Hey, Light, calm down—"

"You know what, L?" Kira shouted at the walls around him, despite the fact that the detective could just turn the volume down if he didn't want to be yelled at. He was so done with this bullshit. He was going to kill that annoying, sugar-obsessed insomniac if it was the last thing he ever did in his life!

The Death God's hand was suddenly on his shoulder, voice lower than usual, "Light… you know, it's probably best if he doesn't think you've _completely_ lost your mind." Somehow, that piece of advice sobered Light into a mostly-sane state again. Frowning, he growled at L—or rather at the walls—as he spoke, "Never mind." Then he rolled over again, writing a message with his finger on the floor for Ryuk: _Thank you._

_**"Yeah, well, you owe me."**_

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><p><em>All good stories have a "prequel" of sorts! Don't worry, shippy things will come soon!**  
><strong>_


	2. Mischief and Freedom

wo weeks later, Light Yagami was finally released from the Hell that was his imprisonment. The first chance he got, he was outside Headquarters, breathing in the joy that was fresh air. Finally, he was free!

So with that, he wandered down the road without much thought. Ryuk hovered behind him, looking a little _too_ happy. He decided he didn't want to know why; knowing the Death God, it wasn't something good. "I'm surprised your not whining about apples yet," he told him instead, voice a bit dry despite the smile on his face.

"Ah, well, I've got.. other things on my mind," Ryuk deflected the subject before bursting into a fit of his maniacal laughter.

"May I ask what?" Light asked hesitantly. He didn't like that tone of voice. It wasn't the usual mischief that his companion held; rather, it seemed a little more perverse than that. But... why?

Some moments later, Ryuk had got a grip on his laughing and was muttering, "Heh.. you'll see soon enough."

_Okay, Light really did not like that._

* * *

><p><strong>{<strong> Short chapter, I know! I'm reading the next one! **}**


	3. In The Moonlight

"You know, I really should thank you, Ryuk," the honors student mused, leaning against the base of the rails, his gaze on the water that cascaded underneath the bridge. The moonlight set a glow against the scene was almost romantic in origin. His voice came out a little more caring than he'd meant, the usual musing in his voice replaced by an almost affectionate purr; he really needed to get a hold of himself - being free of that cell was screwing with him already.

The Shinigami seemed to chuckle, "What for, Light-o?"

He shook his head a little, "You could have killed me back there." It wasn't until he had said it, however, that Light realized how true it was. The thought made him pause, shock striking him harshly. The Death God had stayed, a prisoner along with Light, when he could have simply written his name and been done with it…

_**Why?**_

"As strange as it may be to you, Light," Ryuk told him, "I actually give a damn as to whether or not you drop dead in the near future."

His feet seemed to move on their own accord, bringing him to stand in front of the Death God. "Well," his voice had regained that musing tone and, before he could regain control of his own body, he rest a hand against Ryuk's chest, "I still wanted to thank you." Unthinking, he stood on the tips of his toes for a moment, leaving a brief, fleeting kiss on the Shinigami's consistently-grinning mouth. A long tongue flicked out in response, brushing swiftly over the human's lower lip and bringing a soft gasp to his voice.

_What in the Hell am I doing!?_

Abruptly pulling back, the human turned away and, moving swiftly, started to walk away. Away from the moonlight and the pretty water, away from the Shinigami he'd just kissed, away from the solitude their setting had brought. His own heartbeat was pounding loudly in his ears, muffling the sound of Ryuk's voice:

_**"LIGHT!"**_

_**"Light, where are you going!?"**_

_**"Damn it, Light, come back here!"**_

* * *

><p><strong>{<strong> I have no excuses for this other than THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LEAVE ME ALONE WITH NOTHING BETTER TO DO x'D** }**


	4. Avoiding Ryuk

The walk home was more than a little uncomfortable for Light. He kept his pace swift, never pausing to look back at the Shinigami that was undoubtedly following him home. It was kind of like that childish saying: 'I can't see you, you can't see me.' Except he knew that Ryuk could still see him - the Shinigami made that very clear for the first ten minutes or so.

Light barely heard the Death God's words as he chattered on about how Kira was running away from nothing. How this was all ridiculous, and then again, how interesting humans could be with their emotions. Light didn't listen, if only because he didn't want to listen, focus entirely on forcing his feet to carry him back home.

The final ten minutes of their walk was spent in silence, as Ryuk had apparently given up on getting Light to talk to him. Then the honors student was in the safety of his kitchen, sharing a few words with his mother and looking for an excuse to linger there before going upstairs. Upstairs meant being alone with Ryuk, where he couldn't use the excuse of his mother to not talk to the Death God.

Spitefully, Light sat down on the sofa with his sister, gnawing on an apple. Ryuk's code of silence now broken, he was very loudly complaining in the background, to which Light's response was asking Sayu to turn the television volume up a little. When the fruit was gone, he tossed the core into a nearby garbage can, but he didn't get up from his place on the couch.

"This is the most social you've been since the entrance exams," Sayu commented during the commercials.

The prodigy shrugged at his sister, brushing her observation off, "I'm taking a break from studying. Besides, I wanted to watch the news." Which would be on in just a few minutes, thus giving him another excuse to stay downstairs.

It was a good thing that Ryuk couldn't punch him in-front of Sayu, because Light had the worst feeling that the Shinigami was thinking about it.


	5. Still Avoiding Ryuk

Before he knew it, the news broadcast was on and the room had fallen silent. It was almost uncomfortable at first, lost in the ever-quiet room as the lady on the screen talked about the weather. But then they had moved on, describing first that the police were not willing to discuss Kira at this time. Which was funny, to Light, though probably not to anyone else. Soon he was completely enraptured in the broadcast, working overtime to memorize each and every name/face that flickered across the screen: So many criminals… so much work to do.

It was only when the hour-long broadcast ended that Light realized Ryuk hadn't been talking since a little after the program had started. Looking around, careful not to make his movements suspicious, he realized that the Shinigami wasn't in the room anymore.

_Great… He's probably already waiting for me to come upstairs._

Originally, Light had planned to bite the bullet and go upstairs after the news broadcast. However, without Ryuk downstairs to prod him in that general direction, the honors student decided that he didn't want to talk yet. So instead, he relaxed on the couch, stretching out when Sayu left to go to her room. To contain his own boredom, he grabbed the nearest book and read through it, despite his lack of interest.

Eventually, though, Light had to pull himself up from the couch. Sleeping in his livingroom, while tempting, seemed more than a little childish - which he refused to look in front of a Shinigami. A very missing-in-action Shinigami, as it were, because as Light pushed open the door to his bedroom, he realized that Ryuk wasn't even there.

"Ryuk?" he asked in a quiet voice, just in case anyone in the house was still awake. He didn't need them wondering who 'Ryuk' was, after all. When he got no reply, Light shrugged, changing into his pajamas and going to bed. It seemed, for the night, he was off the hook.


	6. Okay, Where's Ryuk?

Just as he'd went to his bedroom the night before with anxiety, Light Yagami woke up with that very same feeling. Surely his Death God companion would be back by now, ready to demand answers once again. That certainly wasn't how Light wanted to start his morning, so he laid there in bed for quite a while, not opening his chocolate colored eyes. After all, who wanted to start their morning in such a sour way?

And yet, when Light's eyes finally did open, he found that the Shinigami wasn't even there. Which was rather strange, considering that Ryuk was usually found starring at the human whenever he first awoke. Blinking the confusion away, his eyes scanned the room a second time, but there was no way of telling where Ryuk had run off to now.

"Ryuk?"

Just as the night before, his soft calling of the other's name had no results. Sighing, Light decided not to stress over the Shinigami's disappearance, and instead got up out of bed to get ready for the day ahead. Grabbing some clean clothes, he made his way to the bathroom, showering until the hot water ran cold and his concern for the Death God had been pushed to the back of his mind.

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, this state of not-caring would only last a few hours. By mid-afternoon, Light was sincerely worried about Ryuk. True, he was in no hurry to be pestered by the likely-confused Death God, but that didn't change the fact that he'd come to view the other male as a friend. And, as it were, Kira's only friend was effectively missing in action.<p>

The whole thing was surprisingly troubling. The day seemed dull without Ryuk's constant comments on the world around them. He went to school, uninterrupted from his work - which in itself felt strange. Then he was off to 'help' with the Kira Investigation. Yet again, he felt odd without Ryuk there to silently mock L with him. Not that the Shinigami had ever been on Light's side, of course; he just liked to mock humans in general.

Eventually, the day came to a close, and Light Yagami found himself in the safety of his bedroom once again. He hadn't seen or heard from Ryuk all day, which was a rather noticeable contrast; he was used to seeing the Death God everywhere he went. You wouldn't think that somebody could get used to such things, but it was entirely possible, and Light undeniably had.

Collapsing onto the safety of his bed, the honors student sighed. This whole thing left him feeling not only frustrated, but mildly sick to his stomach. This just… wasn't right.

"Damn Shinigami," he grumbled even as his eyes shut for yet another night of disruptive sleep.


	7. Almost Human

Another morning and afternoon had passed without word from Ryuk. Between school, the Kira Investigation, and then studying in the park, Light hadn't really thought much of it. A day or two of Ryuk's absence had been adapted to now, despite how strange it was, so Light had stopped expecting to see the Shinigami every time he turned around—

"—Welcome home, Light."

Shock immediately rushed through the young killer's brain. That was definitely Ryuk's voice, just a little less gravelly, but how could that be Ryuk? Rather than the grotesque monster he usually appeared to be, the Shinigami looked mostly human!

His hair was like a raven's, black with blue and purple undertones when it hit the light from Light's window. His skin was pale and just slightly blue - barely noticeable, really. Once olive-like eyes were now a vivid scarlet. His claws had morphed into black fingernails that, while lacking femininity, looked similar to Misa's polished ones. His rings were still present, as was his skull belt - which was now looped through the belt loops of tight, black jeans. That single heart-shaped earring still dangled from his earlobe. His shirt matched the rest of his wardrobe, corset-like fastenings going up the front where buttons would usually have been.

_Ryuk was…. kind of gorgeous, honestly._

**"—What the Hell?" **

Alright, maybe that wasn't the best way to start this conversation, but that's the first thing that lurched from Light's mouth. Much to his own dismay, the other male—the Shinigami!—began to cackle with laughter. But it wasn't the strange, maniacal laugh that Light had grown irritably accustomed to hearing. Rather, it was the velvetine laugh of a villain in disguise. "What the Hell indeed," the Death God told him mockingly, "I'm sure you have questions, but so do I. So figure out who's asking who first, Light-o, we don't have all day."

The honors student blinked once, twice, and then a third time, as though if he kept repeating such a simple action the world would make sense again. Of course, each time revealed that nothing was any different from the half-a-second before. Ryuk was.. not Ryuk, per se. And Light didn't know how to deal with that. The room felt very small as red eyes glared at him, silently demanding a response to the Death God's statements.

In a panic, and a subconscious attempt at getting more time to process this whole situation, Light darted into the safety of the bathroom. Slamming the door shut behind himself, knowing that nobody but he and Ryuk were home, Light then leaned against it and caught his breathe. This wasn't right. It had turned his world completely upside down! It was one thing for him to peck the Shinigami' on the mouth in a moment of joy and unclear thinking… but to actually find Ryuk attractive?

_Oh, that was bad. That was really, really bad._


End file.
